ICON PAINTING LESSONS
Book your first private lesson below!
Painting icons in a traditional manner with modern materials
For those who wish to delve into the Church’s beautiful and soul-enriching tradition of icon painting, I am now offering private lessons both online via Zoom and in person. Together, we will hand-paint a copy of an ancient icon from scratch while exploring both the traditional techniques of icon painting with modern materials and the deep reservoirs of theological meaning contained within the icon.
All icons will be made using acrylic paint on a board in a manner that imitates traditional egg tempera techniques. Acrylic matte medium will act as a substitute for egg yolk and acrylic paints will substitute pigments. The icon board will use an acrylic-based gesso rather than animal skin glues, thereby enabling an accessible “vegan” alternative to traditional ways of icon painting.
Further details about the different kinds of classes you can select are below. All are beginner-friendly, even for those who have never held a paintbrush before.
-
In these private, one-one-one lessons that can be done either online via Zoom or in-person, the format will be like a “paint-along” in which the teacher will provide a live demonstration of how to paint an icon in a step-by-step process. The student will paint along at the same time while receiving guidance about all the aspects of the techniques involved as well as learning about the theology of the specific icon they are painting.
One of the privileges of this format is that the student will have the opportunity to choose the icon they want to replicate (provided that it is at least 250 years old or older).
The lessons are completely tailored to the personal pace of the student, and the student is free to ask questions throughout the duration of the lessons - whether they are of a technical or theological nature.
The cost of the materials - paintbrushes, paints, palettes, and so on - are a separate cost from the lessons.
-
If you would like to have a friend join you on your icon-painting journey so that both of you grow together, this is the class for you. With only two students being taught in these private lessons, there will still be a high degree of attention given to each student during the lessons, which can be done either online via Zoom or in-person.
Just like the one-on-one lessons, the format will be like a “paint-along” in which the teacher will provide a live demonstration of how to paint an icon in a step-by-step process. The students will paint along at the same time while receiving guidance about all the aspects of the techniques involved and learning about the inner theology of the icon they are painting.
For this format, the students will have the opportunity to choose the icon they want to replicate (provided that it is at least 250 years old or older). They will need to choose the same icon, but of course, they will each work on their own separate versions of the same icon.
The lessons are completely tailored to the personal pace of the students, and the students are free to ask questions throughout the duration of the lessons - whether they are of a technical or theological nature.
The cost of the materials - paintbrushes, paints, palettes, and so on - are a separate cost from the lessons.
Fall 2026 Lesson Schedule and Location:
Lessons are available Mondays - Sundays, from 2:00pm - 6:00pm CDT with each lesson occupying a one-hour time slot. Lessons can be held online via Zoom or in the studio address of Anna Poloz below:
6715 Palma Lane, Morton Grove, IL 60053
When filling out the sign-up form below, you will be able to see which days and time slots are currently available.
If you would like to select multiple one-hour time slots that are back-to-back, you can mention this in the bottommost field of the sign-up form below.
Ready to sign-up for lessons?
You can schedule your lessons by completing the sign-up form here. It will be a prayerful joy to get to know you in the process and to guide you through the wonderful and soul-fulfilling journey of icon-painting.